Blue Pool The pool started life early in the 17th century as a chalk pit. Purbeck Ball Clay was dug from the pit from the mid 17th century to the early 20th century. The Ball Clay was used to make fine ceramic products, such as smoking pipes, plates, cups and tea pots. The pit became disused before the first world war, but Purbeck Ball Clay is still extracted from other pits in the area. The title 'Blue' arose, because there are minute particles of clay in suspension within the water. These suspensions variously diffract the reflected light, yielding colours from 'cloudy' grey, through green, to the more typical turquoise. The metallic blue sometimes found in photographs is more likely to be a reflection of the sky, as the attraction's own website makes no such claim for the water, and their leaflets call it “a turquoise jewel set in the heart of Purbeck

Add to tour Add to favourites